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In:Language and Food: Verbal and nonverbal experiences
Edited by Polly E. Szatrowski
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 238] 2014
► pp. 79–102

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It's delicious!

How Japanese speakers describe food at a social event

Published online: 10 January 2014
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https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.238.04nod
Analysis of 105 Japanese taste descriptions gathered from observation of conversations at a potluck party and responses on written surveys at the party and in a workplace shows that speakers go beyond the common oisii ‘(it)’s tasty’ in their socialization through food sharing. The descriptions included specific descriptions of flavor, texture, and references to personal experiences related to food. The use of the word hutuu ‘ordinary’ had a more positive connotation than has been traditionally associated with this word. Results validated Ohashi’s (2010) market research finding that onomatopoeic expressions have been replacing more traditional clausal descriptions of food texture. This research suggests the pedagogical usefulness of the strategy of relating food being shared to personal experiences and concrete sensory expressions.
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Cited by (2)

Cited by two other publications

Beeman, William O.
2025. The pragmatics of communication in traditional ritual performance (Japanese kagura). Pragmatics and Society 16:4 ► pp. 494 ff. DOI logo
Szatrowski, Polly
2022. How is laughter used to create and reinforce food attitudes in Japanese Dairy Taster Brunch conversations. Journal of Japanese Linguistics 38:1 ► pp. 5 ff. DOI logo

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